I’m great friends with two people, one’s a Calvinistic Protestant of some sort and the other’s Presbyterian (The Presbyterian guy is amazingly awesome, but that’s a question for another thread…)

So, they cared about me enough and were interested enough to ask me what I was going to do for Lent (separate conversations, fyi). I said I was going to make sure I had time to read and study the Bible for at least 10 minutes a day, but will push to spend more time on it. Presby guy then said something like, “as a Protestant I have a hard time understanding the Catholic concept of sacrifice, but that’s a really good idea!”

I said thanks and we ended up talking about religion again (again, amazing conversations that never degrade into pettiness). But I wish I could have known an appropriate response for this statement, and for the situation. Something like, “oh, we do it because of such and such” and then move on slightly, so as to not make him uncomfortable.

I relayed this to my best friend, the Calvinistic Protestant, and she was like, “I have a hard time understanding that and Catholic bishops and stuff like that, too.”

So, any thoughts? (I learn about their religions too…but I have to be more careful with my bf. Presby guy I’m careful around too, but we’re able to really discuss some things so long as we respect each others’ faith.

Do you have a Catechism? If not, that is the place to start. Get a Catechism and start reading-- maybe for Lent and maybe for more than 10 minutes.

There’s another good book you should get, it’s called the Catholic Source Book and it’s different from the Catechism in that it’s not doctrinal but it’s sort of an “everything else” book. Like it has explanations of types of church architecture, Feast Days, cultural “why do we do that,” explanations of lots of odds and ends.

The one thing that I’m giving up for Lent is smoking. (been a smoker for 30 years) I’ve been thinking about Lent for several months and I wanted to purify my body and experience some suffering. (i know it’s not nearly as much as our Lord suffered) I’m currently in the RCIA program and I’m looking forward to being baptized this Holy Saturday. I’m 46 and have never been baptized in any religion. I will also try to go to Mass every day untill Holy Saturday.(even though i can’t receive the Eucharist yet). I pray to God for strength.

Matthew 16:24-26 Then Jesus said to his disciples, "Whoever wishes to come after me must deny himself, take up his cross, and follow me. For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it. What profit would there be for one to gain the whole world and forfeit his life? Or what can one give in exchange for his life?

1 Peter 2:21 For to this you have been called, because Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example that you should follow in his footsteps.

CCC 618 The cross is the unique sacrifice of Christ, the “one mediator between God and men”. But because in his incarnate divine person he has in some way united himself to every man, “the possibility of being made partners, in a way known to God, in the paschal mystery” is offered to all men. He calls his disciples to **“take up [their] cross and follow [him]”, ****for “Christ also suffered for [us], leaving [us] an example so that [we] should follow in his steps.” **In fact Jesus desires to associate with his redeeming sacrifice those who were to be its first beneficiaries. This is achieved supremely in the case of his mother, who was associated more intimately than any other person in the mystery of his redemptive suffering.

Apart from the cross there is no other ladder by which we may get to heaven.

A big “thank you” to everybody! I appreciate all of these scriptural references! I will be marking them in my Bible for future reference. The question hasn’t come up again, but seeing as Lent is nearly here one or the other will probably ask the question again.

Yep, I have a Catechism, that I acquired from the library’s donation shelves (otherwise I would not be in posession of one right now…). I think I will say 10 minutes of reading either/or the Bible and the Catechism for Lent now…probably a good idea to read both along the way. Thanks for the idea

I will get the Catholic Source Book here pretty soon, I want to check my budget first before I purchase more stuff. (college finances…but hey, I’m getting a tax refund!) Thanks for the referral! I’m sure it’ll come into handy.

You know, if my best friend and this wonderfully amazing guy were Catholic, I probably wouldn’t be this interested in my faith…God definitely has a plan